For love of a dram

If you’re a serious malt lover you’ve probably heard of the international Scotch Malt Whisky Society. For those who haven’t, the society is a member’s only club which bottles the world’s widest selection of exceptional and rare single cask malts. Launched in 1983, SMWS is associated with 129 distilleries, from where they acquire exclusive single malt whiskies at cask strengths (on average, a heady 58% alcohol).

Every cask that is owned by SMWS is represented by a code number. No brand names or distillery labels are involved directly, but members are introduced to the range through a brochure called Outturn which details age, alcohol strengths, quirky tasting notes and everything else you’d want to know about the whisky. Those with a keen eye might be able to pick out the little hints that are left in the tasting notes. Like cask no. 35.84 which comes ‘from Elgin’s younger distillery’ or cask No. 16.32 from the distillery which ‘houses the Famous Grouse Experience’. Put your Sherlock-skills to the test or simply spend some time on Google, and you’ll be in on the secret.

So why buy SMWS bottled malts instead of regular labelled bottles? Quite simply, it is the prestige of it that’s on sale here. These are cask strengths, so there is no dilution or blending. To give you perspective, since these are all single cask whiskies, they yield an average of approximately 300 bottles only. That means more exclusivity and once the cask is finished, the whisky is gone forever!

Ashwin Deo, Founder & Managing Director, Trinity Vintners Private Limited is the man who brought the SMWS to India, an addition to the existing outposts in 19 other countries, holding over 26,000 members. Initially SMWS will be accessible to whisky enthusiasts in Mumbai and Pune, and thereafter expand its presence across the country to cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

We asked Society Global Ambassador, Georgina Bell to us quick guide on how to taste these casked whiskies:

A guide to tasting
Remember: every whisky that SMWS bottles is at cask strength, so will be a little stronger than your average.

Start with your eyes:
One hundred percent of the colour of whisky comes from the oak cask it’s been matured in, so you can imagine the taste from first sight.

If you think about what you’re smelling not as a whisky, but as a collection of scents and memories then the glass suddenly becomes more approachable. Start with the glass far away and slowly move it in – you don’t want to shock your nose with alcohol.

Then taste:
Sip, and let it glide over your lips and into your mouth. Experience the full flavour of the whisky by breathing in through your nose while the whisky is in your mouth. You could experience sweet, sour, salty, bitter or umami (savory). Everyone has different palates and flavour memory banks, so no two people will experience the same things.

Finally, add a drop of water after the initial tasting to open the liquid up and release another level of flavour. The important thing to note is that it’s your whisky, in your glass – there’s no right or wrong way to tasting whisky, just the way you personally enjoy it the most.